Getting your house in order should have, in theory at least, been a lot easier after over a dozen regenerations, but it never ever was. The Doctor had just spent an hour meditating and sealing away the darkest aspects of her mind, so hopefully they couldn't influence her next incarnation. She made their mental prison cell look like the White Rabbit Bar on Legion, just so she could try her hand at some 'A Time Lord Victorious, a Dream Lord, and a Valeyard walk into a bar jokes, but despite herself, she couldn't find any of them very funny.
Earlier, she uploaded her thirteenth diary into the Library database, she didn't have the hearts to face River but she hoped that her late wife would get a kick out of reading through her adventures with Graham, Ryan, Dan, and of course, Yaz.
In truth, the Doctor was afraid of seeing River because of just how she felt about Yaz. Not because she was feeling unfaithful or anything, she and River were never monogamous, but instead because the Doctor knew exactly what Melody Pond would tell her. She'd order her to do the one thing the Doctor could never do. The one thing in the universe the Doctor's hearts ached for.
But Earth was safe, her friends were fine. The Daleks were dust, the Cybermen devastated, the Master was gone, for the time being at least. The Doctor should be happy, ecstatic for the conclusion of a life well lived, so why was it that all she could feel was sorrow? The sorrow of a love she wasn't brave enough to act upon. Looking into Yaz's eyes and telling her that she needed to do this on her own was by far the stupidest thing she had said in this life. She needed her Yaz here, with her, telling her everything would be alright. That regeneration was just like a plaster, that they'd pull it off together and then just keep traveling through eternity forever, like nothing had even happened.
The Doctor's hands wouldn't stop pulsing with regeneration energy. Oh well, it was time to pull off the plaster alone.
"I think one of the best things about being us..." announced a familiar Scottish brogue "is that when it comes to the big moments, we're never truly alone"
Out of thin air appeared a person with untamed silver hair and big bushy eyebrows, wearing a punk t-shirt, a hoodie, and a guitar strapped to his back. He looked like such a rockstar.
"Doctor!" Our blonde time traveler gasped
"Doctor" Her immediate predecessor confirmed with a toothy grin
This wasn't right at all, don't get her wrong she was glad to see him but these kinds of meetings between the same person could cause all sorts of disastrous paradoxes, unless... Of course, her brain was dying. Our blonde Doctor was remembering, hallucinating the Scotsman, the person who made such an impact on her life since before she was even created. She remembered sitting in his veins as he talked her through life as the Doctor. Never be cruel, never be cowardly, he told her... Hate is always foolish... He was her absolute favourite. The wisest and the wildest Doctor of recent centuries.
"I'm not on the Edge anymore, am I?" Our blonde Doctor worried, she didn't want to be back there, a moment away from falling into that nothingness
"No" The Scot reassured her "You're going to be moving forward, the Edge is only for echoes, the plan is for you to join the other fourteen or so of us Doctors as we become a part of the next one"
"... I suppose all I have to do is let go"
"You don't have to do it by yourself... Not this time...I came here so you wouldn't have to"
"You drew the short straw?" The blonde Doctor teased to hide her nervousness
"Not at all, I've been following your work... Bit of a fan actually, I really couldn't have done it better myself, well... apart from that Kerblam business, I feel like I could've done that a bit better... But still, you did wonderfully, you brought hope, compassion, and best of all kindness to a universe that really, really tries its best to harsh all of our vibes... Thumbs up to you, Doctor"
And indeed he did put both of his thumbs up to her, while maintaining a pretty wide distance. Still not a hugger.
"Thank you" was all the blonde Doctor could think to say, she was flattered but unused to accepting compliments, especially from herself
"I'm very welcome" he smiled
She couldn't help but frown at him. This Scottish Doctor, her fav, reminded her that things had to move on. He didn't know Yaz, he had to wait until he was her to meet the fam. In a week, or a month, or even a year from now it would be the same for her. She'd end up meeting someone new, someone who'd make the universe feel like it was uncharted again, like all of the stars that died millions of years ago were reborn, renewed, reimagined... She'd forget about Yaz for a while, put her to the back of her mind so she could lose herself, her pain, her suffering, in those new adventures.
She didn't want to forget about Yaz, she didn't want new adventures without her... She just needed Yaz... Her Yaz. She wasn't ready to say goodbye. Oh Other Hell, now she was crying.
The Scottish Doctor wiped her tears away.
"Take my hand" he said, softly "It's time to go"
She didn't want to... She couldn't, not without seeing Yaz, at least one more time.
"I can't"
"You must... We must... We have to go on"
"No, not without her"
"You can see her again, after you change"
"Not with these eyes I can't"
"The eyes don't matter!" the Scot argued "The mind behind them does"
The blonde Doctor sighed, her head spinning as she finally accepted "I can't do this..."
"Finally!" exclaimed a new but also most certainly old voice "You got there in the end, I never doubted you"
The voice belonged to another Doctor, the one that came before the Scot, the raggedy man in tweed, proudly wearing a bowtie and a fez.
"Oh no, not you" complained the Scottish Doctor "Look I'm trying to secure the future of all of our existences, could you, maybe, just be a pal and go play hide and seek with the Silence for a bit"
"Rude" the bowtied man chastised "And no, because I'm actually filling an important role myself"
"Sheriff of nonsense? Fez police?"
"Well now that you mention it, neither of you are wearing fezes, which is rather disappointing, but no... I'm here to appeal to our current self's heart"
"Which one? Unless you've miscalculated she does have two"
"The centre of her love for her companion" clarified the raggedy man while rolling his eyes
"Hold on..." The blonde Doctor interrupted "You're giving me a splitting headache, hallucination or no, I never really got used to the whole multi Doctor crisis thingy"
"See" the Scot argued "You're giving her a headache, clear off"
"Oh you'd like that wouldn't you, changed your tune since you were in the driver's seat, eh Doctor? What happened to the man who nearly ended his regeneration cycle at the South Pole?"
"I grew up, I know what's at stake... She needs to do the same"
This clearly outraged the raggedy man, whose youthful face turned a bright red "You really want her to abandon her love! Her Yaz! To just keep moving on forever, never looking back!"
"Funny you saying that, you little twit" the Scot snapped "As I recall you were the one who never took River to Darillium, never even saw her again after Manhattan!"
The raggedy Doctor went quiet for a few moments, fury and sadness battling each other in his eyes, before admitting "It's not that I didn't want to, of course I did, I love River more than I ever thought I could love a person... but I just couldn't forgive myself for Amy and Rory... I started to wish that the Angel had taken us all in the end... We could've had so much more time together but... I was afraid, I was so scared of watching them grow old... I held us back, River and me... I selfishly took those days away from us, and I could never bring myself to face her afterward"
"You would've had to watch them die" the Scot said, coldly
"And that sounds horrible, it does, but in those final moments I could've given them comfort, closure... It would've hurt so, very much but we would've been together... And..." he took a deep breath "Believe it or not, my complete cowardice turned me into you! A Doctor, who would break the web of time itself just to save the life of his best friend! A Doctor that would take an entire planet out of its natural solar system just to extend the definition of a day on Darillium! So tell me, please, because I really have to know, what right have you got to tell our future self that she can't hold back her regeneration to spend more time with her Yaz!"
"She's fatally wounded, you grandstanding numpty, she wouldn't make it another hour in her current body"
"Oh yeah" the Raggedy Numpty laughed "How long did you hold back your regeneration? Back when you were all stroppy and 'Never again!' Eh?"
"... A few weeks, maybe, but I wasn't as badly injured as she is"
"You were worse! Your body physically died at one point, still don't know how we were brought back..."
"I don't want her to give up like I did!" The Scot revealed, at last
"She won't... I promise, Doctor... She is more hopeful than both of us put together, you just have to believe in her"
"... What do you propose?"
"If we teamed up, you and I..." the Raggedy man pleaded "And we held back the regeneration energy with her, she could live for months, maybe even a few years... Love is always wise, that's what you told her before we brought her into this world, Love is always wise"
"She... She could have decades if we bring Sand Shoes in on this" admitted the Scot
"I could text 'Dr. Fantastic' to help too"
"Warry and the illegitimate son of Lord Byron would help in a hearts beat... They love this sappy stuff"
"So..." The Blonde Doctor interrupted, having already inputted the coordinates for Park Hill, Sheffield, ten minutes ago "We doin' this or what?" she smirked
O-O-O-O-O-O-O
Yasmin Khan held her baby niece Aalin in her arms for the very first time. She had only been born eight hours ago and yet she was positively bursting with energy, she hadn't even settled down for a tiny nap. Sonia and Ryan were the exact opposite of their daughter, they looked absolutely shattered but incredibly thankful for Yaz's mum, dad, and Nani for being there for them, helping to bring the baby home, and making sure they were all fed and given as much rest as possible.
Graham was in the guest room, at that very moment, snoring his head off after being up with the two new parents for thirty hours straight of panic attacks and cries of 'Oh my days'... Sonia wasn't a picnic for Graham either, she 'accidentally' gave him a black eye while he was trying to reassure her. The midwife claimed it was a nervous reflex but Yaz wasn't so sure.
Aalin cried, Yaz soothed her. It had been over a year since the Doctor had left her back on Earth, Yaz still didn't feel right about that, she really wanted to stay with her best friend, be there for them, learn how to properly take care of her, but that was taken out of her hands. At least she was there to help the next Doctor get through his regeneration sickness. Heh, she still remembered the day he showed up on her doorstep, all bouncy and highly strung, scratching his stubble, his hair soaked in fever sweat, just muttering away to himself about sixty years not being long enough and crying about the secret Werewolf Kings of Sweden. He coughed up golden particles of regeneration energy and then passed out in her parents' bed room. After getting her dad to help her carry this new Doctor into the guest room, Yaz made sure that he had plenty of water, and lots of blankets. He was so cold to the touch and he shook terribly with seizures, she held him through the worst of them. She couldn't call for an ambulance, and U.N.I.T. hadn't recovered since the Master's 'Become the Doctor' plan. So Yaz was on her own, caring for her old but new Doctor, and she was good at it. His fever settled and he was starting to ask for food. Yaz was in the middle of making him fish fingers and custard of all things when he snuck out the window and ran back to the TARDIS.
Yaz worried that it was too soon, that he was running away from her at the cost of his own health. She may have been right. One month later, she met the Doctor after that one, a very stylish young black man, who was full of apologies and loneliness. They went hiking together and camped out underneath the stars, just talking about life, regeneration, old adventures, new ones too, Werewolf Kings of Sweden, Silurians partying in Atlantis. It felt so right, that night, it felt like she had her best friend back.
Yaz never heard from him again afterward. He was busy, of course he was. He was the Doctor, the man who stops the monsters, and the universe was full of those. She understood that, and hey, it wasn't like Yaz was just waiting for him to pick her up. Yaz was only back in Sheffield for Aalin's birth, she had moved to Cardiff in June to sign up with Torchwood down there. The new team headed up by Gwen Cooper and Alice Carter was still finding its feet and they were off to a rough start. The Rift in time and space running through the city had long been sealed but left unchecked for over a decade, its corpse drew in an almost infinite number of even more volatile wormholes to other times, planets and even universes, these wormholes needed to be investigated, the aliens on the other side negotiated with, sometimes fought, and then the wormholes had to be collapsed. It was exhausting work, and the hours were awful but it was vital for the future of humanity, and for their first steps into the big wide universe.
But more important than all of that, there was baby Aalin, gurgling softly to herself in Yaz's lap, blowing bubbles and smiling brightly, bringing Yaz back to the present. Yaz had a life, an actual life on Earth with friends and family, so why couldn't she stop dreaming about a blonde heartache that was no longer in the universe.
"Earth to Yaz?" Ryan teased, before gently observing "It's easy to get lost in her eyes, isn't it?"
Yaz played with her niece's tiny little fingers, her eyes were wide with joy and fascination "Yeah..." Yaz appreciated "They're lovely"
"I believe she gets her eyes from my side of the family" Yaz's Nani chimed in
"Mummy" Najia Khan chided "They're the exact same shade as Ryan's"
"Nonsense, Beti, they're amber just like my Daadaas"
"I thought you said you never met either of your grandfathers" Hakim, Yaz's dad, puzzled
"That's beside the point" Nani Umbreen bristled "I heard all of the stories about him, growing up"
"Stories of amber eyes" Sonia rolled her own "Anyways, her eyes are dark brown, just like her dad's" she leaned into Ryan, delivering a soft kiss to his temple
Yaz couldn't really get used to this. Inane conversations about the eyes of a baby, whose eye colour probably wouldn't even be permanent for months to come. Ugh, she felt like such a downer on this wonderful occasion. She felt so alone. Looking around at her smiling family, her mother had her father, true loves, together and celebrating the birth of their first granddaughter. There was Ryan and Sonia, new loves, over the moon with this adorable little life they brought into the world together. Her Nani kept putting her hands into her pockets to caress the two photos she carried of her lost loves. Even Graham would have Ace to spend this moment with later. Yaz didn't even have a photo of her special person to keep her company at this sweet time. Her special person was exploring infinity without her, fighting SniperBots, or back in time, saving Marie Antoinette from blood thirsty revolutionaries.
Yaz handed baby Aalin back to her Nani, who looked absolutely delighted to get to hold her little, energetic great grandchild again. Yaz needed some fresh air but knew it would be rude to just get up and leave right now. So instead, she let her mind drift to a more peaceful place, as her family yammered on about tiny details.
Yaz let herself daydream about another universe, one where the Master never existed, one where she traveled with her Doctor for a lot longer and never truly left. A place her mind retreated to often, where she felt entirely safe and loved. A place where the ancient alien let herself fall in love with a human from Sheffield, and they made each other happy. Yaz constantly dreamed these dreams about the Doctor, her blonde Doctor. It was her favorite part of any day, whether she was daydreaming while eating her lunch on Ianto's bench outside the tourist information office facade, or night dreaming with her cat, Loaf, curled up next to her.
Yaz loved exploring what could have been, through the lens of her own mind's eye. She and the Doctor, a life so unlike her own right now. Endless traveling, a loving marriage, three adopted Timely Children. Her and the Doctor growing old with each other, watching their kids grow up and become a new generation of time travelers. She knew it was sad, but it was also incredibly comforting. She didn't want to forget about that mad woman that fell from the stars... That mad woman who almost fell for her... If the most Yaz could have with her now was an imaginary world inside her head, she'd take it, she'd take it in a heartbeat. It kept her Doctor's memory alive and kept Yaz sane.
BING BONG
The doorbell stirred Yaz from her reverie.
"I'll get it!" her father announced
"It better not be another conspiracy theory baby grow" her mother warned
"Don't worry, Habibi, this one has an adorable little plushie spy glass along with it"
Yaz's father went silent when he opened the door, the grin on his face fading fast.
"I, uh..." he glanced anxiously over at Yaz "Look, this isn't a good time" a note of warning aimed at the person in front of him
Yaz's dad never warned anybody. Was someone hassling him? Yaz immediately jumped up at that thought and strode over to the door, ready to deal with whoever it was on the other side, but froze immediately when she saw that the visitor had an impossible face.
"Hi Yaz!" the Doctor, her blonde Doctor smiled "Could I come in for a cuppa or..."
The Doctor's eyes landed on Ryan and Aalin.
"Oh my word, Is that a baby?" the Doctor cooed
Yaz could only nod at the ridiculous question. How was this possible? Her Doctor regenerated, she had met the Doctors that came after her's. Was this Doctor a hologram? Like the one the TARDIS had made? Or maybe even a robot duplicate? She reached out instinctively to touch the Doctor's hand. Flesh, real flesh, warm flesh. The Doctor smiled at her, sending Yaz's stomach into a flip.
"I'm back"
"You're back" Yaz gasped as she embraced the other woman and sobbed into her coat.
"Glad you're alive, Doctor" Ryan smiled
"Well I'm not!" Najia Khan scowled "You have a lot to answer for, young lady, Yaz was beside herself for months, and then you send around those two Doctor friends of yours, Spikey and the Mustache instead of just talking to her yourself!"
Yaz glared daggers at her mother, getting her to stop revealing future knowledge for the moment at least. The Doctor looked so confused.
"Is this the girl that broke your heart, Bheti?" Nani Umbreen asked Yaz
"No, Nani" Yaz tried
"I did" the Doctor admitted, solemnly "I was foolish and cowardly, and I'd understand if Yaz never wanted to see me again"
"Do you love her?"
"Yes"
Yaz felt like she could fall over. The Doctor loved her? She had admitted that she had feelings for her during the whole Sea Devil situation but she was so afraid of falling in love with someone she would outlive. This couldn't be real. Had Yaz fallen asleep? Was she dreaming again? Or was this yet another Master plan to try and catch her off guard. Maybe this Doctor was a clone sent to trap her and hurt her family. Damn it all, this was a conspiracy, one big manipulation that couldn't possibly be reality... Could it?
"Nani, Mum, Dad... Would it be alright if I stepped out for a bit?"
"Take your time, Bheti" her Nani reassured
Ryan was laughing and singing "I knew it, I knew it" in a terrible sing-song voice. Sonia hit him with a pillow because the baby had started crying.
"Need some back up, sis?" Sonia shot a glance at Yaz
"Sonia Sinclair, don't you dare"
In the corridor outside, the Doctor was going on and on about how the TARDIS would only let her land on this date, no sooner because of some major possibility of paradox. Yaz wasn't really listening, she was steps ahead of the Doctor, putting distance between them and her family. Assuming that this Doctor was real was dangerous, and the hope that it gave her was even more so.
"Yaz..." the Doctor whimpered, coming to a halt
Yaz turned to face her, tears in her eyes, she just couldn't stop them.
"I am so sorry" the Doctor reached out for Yaz's hands, and after a moment of hesitation, Yaz let her hold them
"Don't be daft" Yaz deflected, putting on a brave face "It's only been a year, I've been great"
"I haven't" the Doctor confessed "...Though it's only been about ninety minutes for me"
"Lucky" A tear escaped Yaz's eyes, before she finally asked a very important question "So you're still dying?"
The Doctor nodded "But thanks to some friends of mine, not for a long while yet"
"How long?" Yaz dared
"I dunno... I don't want to know anymore... But what I do know, what I'm absolutely sure of now, is that I don't want to be without you... My wonderful Yaz"
"You're not afraid of time running out?"
"Terrified, really, I don't think I'll ever not be... But back when I felt myself burning away and becoming the Master... I died, Yaz, properly died, and my biggest regret in the darkness before I was found, was all those times I had pushed you away... I made myself promise that when I came back, I'd be better, braver... I'd kiss you and ask you to never leave"
"I definitely would've remembered that" Yaz traced a police box onto the back of one of the Doctor's hands "What went wrong?"
"I got scared, and then..." the Doctor held up her still glowing hand as a reminder "I got really scared... And I did what I always do when I'm scared"
"You ran"
"I ran... from my love for you, and I am so sorry Yaz but I do love you, I love you so much and you deserve way better"
Yaz pulled the Doctor over to a wall and snogged her, fiercely. She ran her fingers through the blonde's hair, the Doctor wrapped her arms around Yaz's waist and Yaz pressed firmly up against her, just to make completely sure that this Doctor wasn't a robot. Nope definitely not a robot, too soft, too warm, two hearts to beat against her own lone one. A clone, maybe? The Doctor tasted like the universe. A trillion different amazing sensations excited Yaz's taste buds. Clones couldn't taste like this, could they?
"Nah..." came a voice inside Yaz's mind "Clones taste predominantly like Fnargberry ice cream"
The Doctor's voice was inside Yaz's head.
"Is this too much?" the Doctor worried "I was trying for intimate and... well this is how I was taught to be close to someone"
"More" Yaz begged, needing to feel her Doctor even closer
"Contact" The Doctor grinned, and Yaz fell head first into her best friend's soul
Yaz could see everything. Every single moment of the Doctor's long and contradictory life, from Gallifrey to Sheffield. Every joyful moment, every terrible one. No more. No more secrets between them. Complete and beautiful trust. Yaz knew the name the Time Lords gave the Doctor, she knew about the Timeless Child, and the fob watch buried deep inside the TARDIS. Moreover she knew the exact moment the Doctor fell in love with her, wow that was earlier than she thought.
It was like they were completing each other, there was no Doctor anymore, no Yaz, just an entity made out of pure love.
Near by, someone cleared their throat. Painfully, the Doctor and Yaz separated, their minds reeled in shock and their bodies followed suit, practically jumping away from each other.
Umbreen smiled, she looked embarrassed but satisfied as Yaz placed her hand back inside the Doctor's own, she craved her Doctor's touch, she found that she needed it even more so after that incredible experience.
"I am glad that you two have made it up" Umbreen failed at holding back a smirk "Now Yaz, and I'm sorry, young lady, what was your name?"
"Oh, um" the Doctor stumbled, searching for an alias "Smith, Jane Smith, Sarah Jane Smith, Doctor Sarah Jane Smith"
"I'll just call you 'Doctor'... Now come inside for some cake, meet baby Aalin, she has my grandfather's eyes"
"I'd love to... Wait Aalin? That means Graceful"
"Ryan and Sonia felt that it would be a nice tribute to his nan" Yaz explained, sliding her arm around the Doctor's waist and never wanting to let go of her Timeless Lady ever again
"Well then, Yaz, Umbreen, let's go meet little Aalin Sinclair-Khan"
"Ah only my oldest friends call me Umbreen, dear"
"Well not to brag but I did officiate your wedding"
O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O
Lying next to Yasmin Khan in bed was pure bliss. They had an absolutely brilliant day together, enjoying their time with Yaz's family, catching up with Ryan and the cute little baby that had his eyes, waking Graham up with her best Dalek impression 'GRAY-HAM-OH-BRY-AN! YOU ARE AN ENEMY OF THE DALEKS!'
The Doctor or Sarah as she was going by now, didn't know just how long she could keep going. Her hands had stopped glowing and she could feel all of her other selves trying their best to keep her together. She supposed that maybe if she didn't receive any further injury, she might have as long as sixty years to spend with Yaz.
Cuddling up next to her love, the Doctor found herself ecstatic to go the long way around. They had another few days in Sheffield together then they'd travel all the way down to Cardiff. The Doctor couldn't wait to see the next generation of Torchwood Wales. Gwen Cooper, Bill Potts, Bill's wife Heather. The Doctor could finally reunite with the two versions of Sam Jones that she resurrected during Big Bang Two.
Yaz has a lovely big flat overlooking the Bay, a nice cozy bed, so she says, enough custard creams to last a lifetime, and even a little kitty cat called Loaf. To the Doctor, that all sounded wonderful, but the thing she was most looking forward to was all the time she would be spending with her Yaz. Who knows what adventures were still waiting for the both of them: Breakfast with the Prince of Wales at the Prince of Wales pub on St. Mary's Street, lunch on the Senedd steps with the elusive owner of Wildthyme's Holiday Inc, dinner on chippy lane with her Torchwood team. Her future, old, new friends.
This wasn't retirement of course, her and Yaz would still travel in the TARDIS, but maybe they could stick local for a bit. Defend the Earth, hang out with the Fam, love each other with no interuptions.
BEEP BEEP BEEP
The Doctor's sonic screwdriver was receiving some sort of distress call. Other Hell... It looked like the Doctor and Yaz were back on the clock again.
The Doctor activated the screwdriver and a small hologram of a raven haired teenager wearing a striped black and white jumper leapt forth from it.
"Susan?" the Doctor gasped
The girl in the hologram was her granddaughter, Susan. It had been so long since the Doctor had seen her, she had searched the war torn nations of the twenty second century and the battlefields of the Last Great Time War, only finding echoes and ghosts, but this Susan wasn't the Susan of the War. This was Susan back when they had first started traveling together.
"I'm sorry!" Susan cried "I linked into the Ship's telepathic circuitry hoping to try and find family, but... I don't know you, do I?"
"Oh no, no, no" the Doctor tried to imitate an old man's voice "You're right on the money, dear child, right on the money"
"Grandfather!"
The Doctor almost twinkled at that exclamation but tried to stay focused "What's wrong, Susan?"
"Grandfather... The... Version of you here, with me, my Doctor, the original" she rambled "He's stressing me out with all of his warnings and protocols and secrecy, I'm not allowed to make friends, I'm pretty sure we have the Hand of Omega on the Ship and he says if we're found we'll be put on trial and have our timelines reversed so neither of us will have existed in the first place... Magister Koschei and Uncle Braxiatel tried to help us but they were attacked before we left, I think they might be dead... I just want to scream... I know he, I mean you left home to save me from the Time Lords but I'm just so frightened, all of the time"
The Doctor had no idea that Susan hurt this much, that she had made Susan's time on the TARDIS so difficult with all of her worries about them being found by their own people. She was just a child, she shouldn't have to live in fear.
"Tell you what, how would you like a stress free month away from old man Scrooge"
"... Would that even be possible? Wouldn't that break the laws of time? You're always saying how we can't change history, not one line, and especially not our own"
"No worries, the laws of time are a little bit more flexible nowadays, and anyway I can always return you to the exact moment you left"
"You've learned how to pilot the Ship?" Susan marveled
"Two thousand years later, I'd say I'm pretty decent at flying her, when she lets me" the Doctor gave a goofy grin "I'll lock onto your signal and be there in a jiffy, alright?"
"Thank you... For understanding, Grandfather"
"You could call me Grandmother, if you like" the Doctor suggested
"I would like that!" Susan beamed "See you soon, Grandmother"
Even as the hologram shut off, the Doctor couldn't wipe the smile off of her face. She was going to spend time with her Granddaughter again! Her little family was slowly taking shape, Yaz, Susan, and soon, Loaf the Cat, Loaf Khan? Loaf Smith-Khan? This was hands down the best day ever! Yaz was going to adore Susan and all of her space memes.
Thinking of Yaz, the Doctor leaned into her love's back, and whispered into her ear.
"Yaz, there's someone I really want you to meet"
"Mmmm" Yaz blinked awake and turned toward the Doctor, a sleepy but content smile on her lips
"Good morning, sleepy head"
"I think it's still night" Yaz yawned
"Two AM doesn't count as morning? That's a bit rubbish, who made that a rule?"
"Ed Sheeran" Yaz wiped the sleep from her eyes "Who are we going to meet at Two AM?"
"Well, to her it's Nineteen Sixty Three, so well before Sheeran"
Yaz lazily kissed along the Doctor's jawline.
"An old friend?"
"Sort of, I mean she is my son's little girl but he was a bit of a bad egg and she ended up traveling with me for ages, so yeah I'd say we were friends"
Yaz's eyebrows raised so far up her head that they disappeared into her long and loose hair. She took a few moments to process, yawned, stretched, and then replied "Yeah, that makes sense"
"Wait, you're not gonna ask any questions" the Doctor was almost offended, she had set that up perfectly for at least seven thousand questions. She loved questions. Zero points to Yaz. No that didn't sit right, well maybe a thousand points for being so Yazzy but still.
"Oh I've got tons" Yaz reassured her while going in for a proper kiss "In fact I think I'll spend my entire life asking them, that okay with you?"
The Doctor beamed, bringing her forehead to rest momentarily against Yaz's own. The Doctor took the time to mentally thank the universe for creating someone as amazing as her girlfriend, she thanked her other selves for giving them this chance, and then finally, slowly, she brought Yaz's lips to hers, savoring every single moment of their love.
"Sounds brilliant"